Airbus and German Aerospace Centre (DLR) Partnership

Airbus is highly involved in creating eco-friendly airplane and improving the eco-efficiency of their modern production. The most guaranteeing contributors for emission free ground operation is fuel cell technology. Along with its research companion DLR, Airbus is evaluating the potential for this technology, its integration to the airplane and it has currently successfully performed the very first flight test on the civil transport aircraft in 2008, when a fuel cell system supplied power for that aircraft’s back-up systems.
To be able to gain in information on the potential for fuel cell technology as provide for electric power in aircraft ground operation, a DLR created technology demonstrator has become installed in the DLR possessed A320 fuel cell test aircraft in the Airbus site in Hamburg. The technology demonstrator includes a fuel cell powering an electric motor which drives the nose landing gear wheels permitting the aircraft to taxi autonomously. The goal of m tests is to further validate the potential of the integrated fuel cell technology for energizing future airplane functionalities for example autonomous taxiing.

Airbus looks at fuel cell technology as key cause of the ACARE 2020 goals, which foresee the decrease in CO2 pollutants by 50%, NOx emissions by 80% and noise by 50%. As a result Airbus is going after engagement of business research companions in that field. Additionally Airbus is highly participating in applying and testing bio-fuel technology and definitely helps installing local bio-fuel value-chains all over the world. Regarding larger endeavours for example Air Traffic Management (ATM),

A fuel cell is actually a unit which transforms the power within hydrogen and Oxygen into electricity by way of a direct chemical transformation in a lower temperature level without having moving components. The exhaust product is water, and regarding an air-breathing system, oxygen depleted air. The electricity made by fuel cells is clean and much more effective than combustion engines. Additionally, water and also the oxygen used up air (inert gas) may be used for the plane to replacement water and inerting systems.